I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly, I will praise You. Psa 22:22
Psalm 22 begins with the most anguished cry in human history. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”. These are the very words that Jesus took on His lips at the depth of His suffering on the cross. These words are first uttered by David, and David is expressing in the first place his own experience of feeling abandoned by God. Here is the most intense suffering God’s servant can know – not just enemies surround him (V7)
But David feels the God does not hear him and does not care about his suffering. And this is not just the experience of David. It is also the experience of all God’s people in the face of terrible trouble. We often wonder how our heavenly father can stand silent when we are in such distress. Even in extreme distress David never loses faith but he calls out to “MY God”. He knows that God can help, and he turns to God as the only One who will help. As believers when we turn our focus from problems to God, He will set us free in everything we face today.
In the second part of this psalms, the mood and tone change dramatically. Agonized prayer turns to passionate praise. This ardent praise is for the success of the cause of God. The psalmist comes to be filled with praise “in the midst of the congregation I will praise you” . He calls on his brothers to join him in praise.